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42 THE LIFE OF EAM^NUJA. CH. VII.
ate of that food and drank of that water.
This foitaitous merit
brought theo.to this present janma (birtli) of tliine as a
Bi-ahmana with learning. As for myself, I was a Brahmana
in mj past birtli. I began to perform a Yuga (a Brahnianic
sacred ritual), but there were omissions in the regular
chanting of the mantras, and tlic acts connected thcrcwitli.
And henco the rdkshasa-janma has devolved on me. Sec.«;t
thou iiow / have knowledge, and thou hast not " ? " Very
good,'" said TSdava, " tell me then who will make thee dislodge
from the princess ? " " There," said the devil, pointing with its
hands folded in fear and worship, " in thy ranks there is that
angel from Heaven incarnate among men, whom thou hast fhe
glory of counting as tliy student, and whose name is Bam&nuja.
At his bidding I must flee' ". Y4dava turned to Ramanuja and
begged of him to command the evil spirit to leave. B&m&nuja
did so. " But I will not ", it said, " unles.s, Holy soul, thou
place thy Holy Poet upon my head." B&m&nuja did so. " I
now salute thee Holy Kftm4nuja,"said the spirit in a loud tone,
" I am leaving the princess." " But stay," said Ra,in4nuja
" how .shall we know that thou hast left ? " By this sign "
replied the spirit, " into that asvattha tree yonder, I shall
enter, the evidence thereof shall be the breaking of a branch."
And so it happened. Tlie Raja was overjoyed, and loaded
them with presents and honors. Y&dava-prakfi,Sa showered
plaudits on R4ma,nuja and glad at least that his prestige -was
somewhat saved by his noble disciple, returned to his retreat.
In Srirangam, Yftmunftcharya was in the meanwhile conducting
his expo.sitions of The Faith, of which the Four-Thousand
Prabandlia-s" constituted tlie chief documents. When lie
came across St. Nammfl,zliv3,r's verse {Tlru-viii-mozhi IV. 10. 5)
which proclaims that there is but One God, " On whom, all
ye, Laingas, Samanas and Sakyas", shall believe ", he felt
' Cp. Lnko IV.33— 35. And in the synogogiie...an unclean devil &c.
Also Luke X. 38 ft.
' See our Azhv&j's tires.
'i(iiH3fl.5 = Saivas, Samo»ins=^Jainas, S(il-i/ns = Bauddhas.